LWF Staff, old and new, as well as members of the board blow out candles during LWF’s 25th Anniversary

The LWF Board of Directors and members at the Annual General Meeting unanimously approved the New Strategic Plan for the organisation on November 18, 2017. The mission of LWF includes a greater focus on the interconnectivity of counties in the greater Laikipia landscape, and encourages us to look at natural resources conservation and management challenges at scale.

Changes to LWF include:

A new Board of Directors: A broader and more representative participation from Laikipia organisations and associations to the BOARD of LWF from the greater Laikipia Landscape.

Appointment of an Advisory Council: A group of influential and supportive patrons who are capable of providing guidance, access to funding, and advocacy for issues that impact the greater Laikipia landscape.

Redefinition of our articles of incorporation and even, perhaps, a name change.

The existing Board of Directors will oversee the transition to the new governance structure during the first quarter of 2018. This will be addressed by the new Board of Directors in the first quarter of 2018.

LWF also celebrated 25 years of operations, and remains the only forum of many established in the 90s. With some 10,000 active members as part of LWF, the Forum remains a vital part of the bigger Laikipia landscape, and is an important tool to address our common concerns over natural resources management in the Upper Ewaso Ng’iro basin system – with wildlife, water, rangelands and land use paramount among these.

LWF was created in response to an initiative by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to engage landowners and land users in the conservation and management of wildlife in non-protected areas. Since its inception in 1992 there has been a significant expansion of localised conservation effort and expertise in relation to wild animals. Whilst wildlife remains central to the conservation effort, LWF has taken an increasingly holistic approach with emphasis on cross-cutting environmental issues that affect larger sections of the population.

The AGM took the opportunity to remember some of the key individuals and employees over the years who helped to make the Forum a success.

You can walk with us down memory lane through our social media platforms following the conversation: #LWFat25